Stadtmuseum Erlangen

Current exhibitions

About the museum

The museum's roots go back to 1865, when an association called the Germanisches Museum began collecting craft objects. On the initiative of the Erlangen tourism association, this became a local history museum, which opened in 1919 in the water tower on Apfelstraße, the former Karzer (student prison); in 1923 a room in the former town hall was added.

Since 1964 the museum has borne its current name and has been based in the Altstädter Rathaus on Martin-Luther-Platz, a listed Baroque building dating from around 1733 to 1740. A comprehensive renovation was completed in 1993, and since then the museum has been accessible. After the city archive moved out in 2011 and neighboring buildings were acquired, the complex grew further.

On some 1,000 square meters, the museum presents a chronological permanent exhibition and changing special exhibitions. The tour leads from prehistory through the old town and the Baroque Huguenot new town to industrialization, the Nazi era, and the postwar period. Of more than regional importance are the holdings on the Huguenot trades, such as stocking knitting, glove making, tanning, and carpet weaving. An expansion into a museum quarter, approved in 2018, has been put on hold for budgetary reasons.

Highlights

• Baroque Altstädter Rathaus as the museum building
• Chronological tour through Erlangen's city history
• Collection on Huguenot trades such as stocking knitting and glove making
• Free admission on Thursdays 17:00–20:00
• Changing special exhibitions on the art and history of the region

Permanent exhibitions

• Ein Rundgang durch die Stadtgeschichte – Chronological show in eight chapters from prehistory through the old and new towns and industrialization to the postwar period.

Founded

1919

Operated by

Stadt Erlangen

Director

Brigitte Korn

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission every Thursday 17:00–20:00.

Promotion "Freier Eintritt – in Erlangens Geschichte" (free admission to Erlangen's history) until October 25, 2026. Also free for holders of the ErlangenPass, Nürnberg-Pass, Fürth-Pass, and Schwabach-Pass, and for members of museum associations. The website does not say who qualifies for the reduced price.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

Entrance door opens electrically at the push of a button; all exhibition and event rooms step-free; accessible restroom on the first floor. Free loaner wheelchairs and portable seats. Mobile FM system with 20 receivers. Sign language interpreting on request with 14 days' notice. Details at hürdenlos.de.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Kids’ birthday parties

Museum education tours and hands-on workshops (e.g., cooking in the historic museum kitchen, laundry day, toys around 1900) for daycare groups, school classes, and holiday and leisure groups; old town tour for children ages 8 and up. Birthday parties for up to 12 children ages 6 and up (120 minutes, €120; with cake party 150 minutes, €135).

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

Lockers with a €1 deposit; free BayernWLAN.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Weddings / ceremonies

Civil wedding ceremonies in the wheelchair-accessible Brunnensaal (booked through the city's wedding calendar), with a champagne reception possible in the courtyard; children's birthday parties as well.

Plan your visit